9 out of 10 people who suffer cardiac arrest outside the hospital die. In most of those cases, bystander CPR was not performed. But we can change this.

 

Cardiac arrests happen at work, in homes, on athletic fields and in neighborhoods everywhere, and the readiness of our community can be the difference between life and death.

 

I learned this the hard way in 2016.  It was a normal day at work,  but by the end of the day I could not walk 5 feet without experiencing chest pain and shortness of breath.  I went to the emergency room and went through a battery of test.  I did not have a heart attack and the treatments I received in the ED seemed to help the symptoms I was having.  A med student came in to talk to me,  He told me that the doctors were going to discharge me, but he was not sure it was the right move.  We went through everything again.  He advocated for me to be admitted for another test at the next available time.

 

A week later, I had triple bypass surgery.  That test he wanted me to have showed that I had three blockages - a widow maker (99%) and two other blockages greater than 50%.  The doctors told me that I was a ticking time bomb.  That medical student saved my life! 

 

Now that I am coming up on the 10 year anniversary of that surgery, I think of that student often.  I never saw him again and do not remember his name. He leaned on the knowledge he had and the research that he read to advocate for my admission.  This is what the AHA supports - research and education!

 

It's time to unite, take action, and save lives. Every dollar donated, means more people trained in lifesaving CPR, more research and more lifesaving moments for everyone. Together, we can turn bystanders into lifesavers.

 

I Walk to Save Lives. Help me reach my goal today.